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Section 1 – Introduction 1
1.1 Background and Aim of the Strategic Emergency Plan 1
1.2 Objectives of the Strategic Emergency Plan 1
1.3 Audience 1
1.4 Plan Ownership, Authorisation and Administration 2
1.5 Audit and Amendments 2
1.6 Publication and Distribution 2
1.7 Data Protection 2
Section 2 - Context 3
2.1 Legislation and Guidance 3
2.2 Definition of an Emergency 3
2.3 London Strategic Emergency Planning Arrangements 4
London Regional Resilience Forum 4
London Resilience Programme Board 5
Sector Panels 5
Task & Finish Groups 5
London Resilience Team 5
Local Resilience Forums 6
2.4 Local Resilience Forums in London 7
2.5 Governance Arrangements Diagram 8
Section 6 - Communication 22
6.1 London Prepared Website 22
6.2 The London Media Emergency Plan 22
In April 2005, the London Resilience Team published the first version of the
London Strategic Emergency Plan. This document provided a comprehensive
overview of London’s key plans which existed at the time. The Strategic
Emergency Plan has been amended since, reflecting the alterations which
have been made to existing plans as well as outlining the new plans which
have been created. All plans are owned by the London Regional Resilience
Forum.
Since the introduction of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (CCA) in 2005, all
English Regions and Wales have been required to have a Generic Regional
Response Plan (GRRP) enabling the activation of regional crisis management
when needed.
This document summarises the plans for the strategic regional response of
the London Resilience Partnership in responding to incidents requiring multi-
agency co-ordination on a pan-London regional basis - a key element of which
is the London Command and Control Protocol. In addition, this document also
provides an overview of the requirements which the Civil Contingencies Act
places on the region, and outlines the regions’ response to an emergency.
Details of specific plans are available from the London Resilience Team (LRT)
or by download from the London Prepared website -
www.londonprepared.gov.uk).
1.3 AUDIENCE
This plan is subject to annual reviews, reflecting the alterations made to any
Partnership plans as well as the creation of any new plans. All amendments to
this document have been cleared by the London Resilience Programme
Board.
Any requests under the Freedom of Information Act should be directed to the
London Resilience Team at enquiries-lrt@gol.gsi.gov.uk. The plan is also
subject to the Data Protection Act which requires that any contact details
listed on the plan cannot be released without the authorisation of the
individual listed.
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SECTION 2 – CONTEXT
• “Emergency Preparedness”
www.ukresilience.gov.uk/preparedness.aspx
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The definition of ‘emergency’ is concerned with consequences, rather than
cause or source - therefore, an emergency inside or outside the UK is covered
by the definition provided it has consequences inside the UK.
The responsibility for strategic multi-agency planning in London lies with the
London Regional Resilience Forum. The LRRF is supported in its work by a
number of additional groups including the London Resilience Programme
Board, Sector Panels, Task & Finish Groups, Local Resilience Forums and
the London Resilience Team.
This is the principal mechanism for supporting the planning and co-operation
requirements of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 at the regional level. The
LRRF brings together Category One & Two responders (see Paragraph 3.3
for a definition) as well as other agencies and stakeholders in London to
ensure that effective co-ordination and strategic planning is delivered across a
range of key capabilities. In addition, the LRRF facilitates effective co-
ordination with Central and Regional Government.
The LRRF is co-chaired by the Rt Hon John Healey MP, Minister for Local
Government and the Rt Hon Tony McNulty MP, Minister for London; the
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is Deputy Chair.
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London Resilience Programme Board (LRPB)
The LRPB manage the yearly work plan on behalf of the Partnership,
identifying areas of concern which they can escalate to the LRRF for
resolution if considered necessary. The LRPB can choose to establish a Task
& Finish Group to deliver a particular workstream – with Task & Finish Groups
reporting all progress made back to the LRPB. The LRPB is also responsible
for identifying gaps in emergency preparedness and vulnerability across the
Partnership, to identify future work, and facilitate the Partnerships work to
ensure the region’s responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act are met.
The LRPB is also responsible for giving approval to all plans and protocols
that are produced by the various Task & Finish Groups.
Sector Panels
Sector Panels meet periodically throughout the year to develop and progress
the regional work plan within their areas of expertise, to identify policy issues
for further consideration and to advise other groups within the Partnership.
Sector Panels report directly to the London Regional Resilience Forum.
The London Resilience Team is based within the Government Office for
London and comprises a small core team of civil servants plus secondees
who are drawn from organisations represented at the London Regional
Resilience Forum.
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The team provides the secretariat to both the London Regional Resilience
Forum and the London Resilience Programme Board, and provides
membership to each Sector Panel and Task & Finish group. Additionally, a
representative from the London Resilience Team attends each of the six
quarterly Local Resilience Forums in order to ensure links with the sub
regional tier.
As laid down in the statutory guidance to the Civil Contingencies Act, the
London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) provides the
Secretariat to the six London LRFs (see Fig. 1 below). These are chaired by a
Local Authority Chief Executive from one of the Local Authorities within that
Local Resilience Forum. Further to the administrative support of the LRFs,
LFEPA will seek to ensure the consistent implementation of regional policy in
the six LRFs in London. More detailed information can be found at:
www.london-fire.gov.uk/LocalResilienceForums.asp
The current LRFs’ operation and arrangements may alter during 2009
following the completion of the Cabinet Office led Civil Contingencies Act
Enhancement Programme – please see Paragraph 3.4 for further details.
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2.4 LOCAL RESILIENCE FORUMS IN LONDON.
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2.5 GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS DIAGRAM
Note – The Individual Task & Finish Groups currently operational include:
Flooding, Pandemic Influenza, Recovery, Resilient Telecoms, Mass Fatalities,
CBRN, Command & Control, Disability, Excess Deaths, Warning & Informing,
Telecommunications, Mass Evacuation, Mass Casualties and Fuel.
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SECTION 3 – CIVIL CONTINGENCIES ACT
At the local level, the generic plan will deliver four key practical benefits:
• A recognised corporate basis of response for the region, to any type, or
most types, of emergency;
• Key supporting elements (that is, capabilities and procedures) which
can be selected from and combined as necessary, depending upon the
nature of the emergency;
• A recognised framework for
¾ awareness raising throughout the Region;
¾ developing training and exercising throughout the region;
¾ building ownership of regional civil protection throughout the
region; and
• a recognised corporate framework for participating with Category One
and Two responders in any combined response.
The plan will have three main elements:
• procedures for activating the crisis facilities in Government Office;
• procedures for activating the RCCC; and
• procedures for communicating with the local level, other than regions
and the centre of government.
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A multi-agency Regional Gold Exercise is staged approximately every
eighteen months, which is designed to exercise the strategic decision making
of the Partnership and the operation of the regional Gold Co-ordination Group.
The Partnership’s Training and Exercising Strategy for 2010-2012 will be
developed in conjunction with the Olympic Security Directorate and Civil
Contingencies Secretariat during 2009 to better co-ordinate the London
programme in the national and Olympics context.
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SECTION 4 - REGIONAL RESPONSE TO A MAJOR INCIDENT
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It will be for the Gold Co-ordinating Group to consider recovery, alongside the
response phase. The Recovery Management Protocol has been written to
clarify how a recovery group should be formed and the objectives that they
should work towards.
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SECTION 5 – THE PLANS AND PROTOCOLS OF THE LONDON
RESILIENCE PARTNERSHIP
A number of plans and protocols are currently active in London which details
the co-ordinated response to a range of emergencies across the Capital. All
the documents are reviewed regularly to ensure accuracy. Due to the
classification status of some of the regional plans, a limited number are not
public documents. Documents which are in the public domain can be
downloaded from the London Prepared website. 1 As at February 2009, the
following plans/protocols are active for use by the Partnership:
• London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP) Major Incident
Procedure Manual – 7th Edition
• The London Command & Control Protocol - July 2008, Version 2
• The London Recovery Management Protocol - July 2008, Version 2
• The London Mass Evacuation Plan - April 2008, Version 1
• The London Regional Flu Pandemic Response Plan – February 2009,
Version 4
• The London Flood Response Strategic Plan – March 2007, Version 1
• The London Humanitarian Assistance Centre Plan – November 2006,
Version 1
• The London Mass Fatality Plan – March 2007, Version 2
• London Fuel Disruption Protocol – July 2008, Version 3
• The London CBR Response Framework, December 2008, Version 1
• Government Office for London Emergency Response Plan – October
2007, Version 6
• The London Resilience Strategy for Disability Equality in Emergency
Planning – September 2008, Version 1
• The London Voluntary Sector Capabilities Document – March 2008,
Version 1
• The Disaster Appeal Fund
• London Science and Technical Advice Cell Arrangements – December
2008, Version 1
1
www.londonprepared.gov.uk
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5.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PARTNERSHIP PLANS
The London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP) was formed in 1973
and consists of representatives from the Metropolitan Police Service, City of
London Police, British Transport Police, the London Fire Brigade, the London
Ambulance Service, and Local Authorities. The Port of London Authority,
Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Royal Air Force, Military and voluntary
sector are also represented.
The London Command and Control Protocol details the principal mechanism
for Pan London strategic emergency planning and co-operation as required by
the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) for both ‘Immediate Impact’ and ‘Rising
Tide’ emergencies. The protocol explains the strategic co-ordination options,
roles, relationships and structures, including the Gold Co-ordinating Group
and Regional Civil Contingencies Committee, which exist to support the key
responding organisations and agencies. The plan also explains the linkages to
obtain central government support and how the response to recovery
management arrangements within London should be organised.
A copy of the London Command and Control Protocol can be found at:
http://www.londonprepared.gov.uk/downloads/ccprotocol_august2008.pdf
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The revised plan provides clear criteria for when the plan will be triggered,
utilising existing Command & Control and Warning & Informing mechanisms
to manage any evacuation. The emphasis is now to encourage individuals to
self evacuate wherever possible, and for those who need to be evacuated, to
be sheltered within the London Boroughs and only moved out of the region as
a last resort. Any evacuation will be co-ordinated by the Evacuation Co-
ordination Group which will be chaired by the Police.
A copy of the London Mass Evacuation Plan can be found at:
http://www.londonprepared.gov.uk/downloads/London_Mass_Evacuation_Pla
n_april08.pdf
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Office in 2008. Version 4 of plan will validated at an exercise held during 2009
and relevant lessons learnt will be assimilated into forthcoming versions.
Additionally, at the regional level, an Excess Deaths Task & Finish Group has
been established to develop a strategic, multi-agency London Excess Deaths
Plan to be approved in 2009. The Excess Deaths Plan will complement the
London Regional Flu Pandemic Response Plan and provides guidance on
different ways of working with respect to funeral services, burials and
cremations, coroners’ death registration and mortuary capacity.
Version 4 of the London Flu Pandemic Response Plan is currently not
available; Version 3 can be found at:
www.londonprepared.gov.uk/downloads/flu_pandemic_response_plan_v3.pdf
The London Flood Response Strategic Plan overarches local area and
individual agency plans. It is complemented by the existing London Command
and Control arrangements, the London Mass Evacuation Plan and Recovery
Management protocols. The plan sets out the risk assessment, the thresholds
and triggers, and the roles and responsibilities of partner agencies in
response to a large scale significant flood in London.
The primary objective of the plan is to enable the protection of life and the
mitigation of property and environment damage. The plan refers to the
guidance from Defra to Category One responders with regards to spatial
planning and development issues. Whilst the primary focus of the plan is on
tidal flooding from the River Thames and on fluvial flooding from the tributaries
that flow into the river, the plan’s generic principles can additionally be applied
to surface water flooding.
The Humanitarian Assistance Centre Plan provides guidance for the delivery
of a London Humanitarian Assistance Centre in the event of an “emergency”.
This plan should be read in conjunction with the LESLP manual which outlines
the use and operation of additional assistance centres – Rest Centres,
Survivor Reception Centre, and Family & Friends Reception Centres.
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• act as a focal point for the giving and receiving of information and
assistance to bereaved families and friends, survivors and to anyone
else affected;
• enable those affected to benefit from appropriate information and
assistance in a timely and co-ordinated manner;
• enable the gathering of forensic samples where appropriate (in order to
assist the identification process) in a timely manner;
• offer access to a range of services that will allow affected people to
make informed choices according to their needs; and
• ensure a seamless multi-agency approach to humanitarian assistance
in emergencies that should minimise duplication and avoid gaps.
The plan outlines that the decision to open a Humanitarian Assistance Centre
will be made by the Strategic Co-ordinating Group and this will be determined
after giving consideration to the scale of the incident alongside the needs of
the people relative to their welfare requirements.
A copy of the London Humanitarian Assistance Centre Plan can be found at:
http://www.londonprepared.gov.uk/downloads/lhacplan.pdf
The London Mass Fatality Plan sets out how London will respond to an
incident involving large numbers of human fatalities. The plan also details the
Capital’s response to an overseas incident which calls for the identification
and repatriation of large numbers of UK nationals.
The plan is designed to provide tactical options and guidance to all agencies
responding to a mass fatality incident and it provides detailed information that
is designed to assist in the administration of a broad range of operational
matters allied to the management of the deceased.
The plan documents the tiers of implementation from a local response through
to accessing Central Assistance to supplement local options.
The London Fuel Disruption Protocol has been developed in support of the
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform’s National
Emergency Plan – Fuel. The plan provides the regional response to the
national arrangements which is designed to deal with two broad scenarios –
short term significant disruption to fuel supplies, and secondly, a longer term
shortage of fuel.
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The London Fuel Disruption Protocol covers the different phases of the
response through to the introduction of emergency powers under the Energy
Act. The Plan sets out:
• the co-ordination arrangements;
• roles and responsibilities of organisations;
• the strategic and tactical responses to any fuel disruption affecting the
Capital.
Ownership of the national plan has now transferred to the Department of
Energy & Climate Change who are in the process of reviewing the plan.
Due to the nature of the information held within this plan it is not disclosable.
The Government Office for London Emergency Response Plan details the role
and responsibilities of the Government Office for London in the response to an
incident, or emergency, affecting the Capital and how these would be
triggered.
The plan provides an understanding of the Government Office’s role in an
emergency, specifically the role of the Government Liaison Officer for most
scenarios, providing the link between the London response and the Central
Government, and to provide the secretariat and deputy chairs for the Regional
Civil Contingencies Committee.
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005 introduced a duty on all public
bodies to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. This duty
includes ensuring that the needs of disabled people are integrated into all
policies, practices and procedures.
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This London Resilience Strategy has been created with the purpose of
assisting partnership agencies to consider the implications of the DDA in the
context of multi-agency strategic emergency planning by outlining the key
themes that must be considered when dealing with people with disabilities.
The voluntary sector is committed to providing the best possible support to the
statutory services and the people of London, and they are equally committed
to joint working in as many areas as possible where the greater good can be
served in major or pan-London incidents.
If the decision to launch an appeal fund is made, the Mayor will make a public
announcement stating that the fund has been established, what its purposes
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are and how donations can be made. The fund will be run as an independent
Charitable Trust and, as an initial temporary arrangement, the Trust will be run
and managed by a group of interim trustees who will be senior officers of the
Greater London Authority.
The London Fire Brigade – Emergency Planning owns, on behalf of all the
London Boroughs, the London Local Authority Gold Operating Procedures.
The function of the Local Authority Gold is to manage the collective response
of London’s local authorities to an incident requiring the opening of the
Strategic Co-ordination Centre. This function is supported by a resolution
passed by each London Borough and the Common Council of the City of
London which delegates powers to Chief Executives to incur expenditure and
deploy resources on behalf of one-another. The co-ordination of London’s 33
local authorities will be directed by Local Authority Gold through the London
Local Authority Co-ordination Centre (LLACC), also provided by the London
Fire Brigade.
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SECTION 6 - COMMUNICATION
All the publicly released Partnership plans and a wide range of useful
information are available for download.
The London Media Emergency Plan covers the timing and activation of media
operations, the establishment of a combined central press office and media
centre, details of the central press team, multi agency media centres and the
role of the London Media Emergency Forum. The Plan also refers to the role
which the Mayor, as the “Voice of London”, will play during such an incident.
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SECTION 7 - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR AMENDMENTS
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Enquiries to:
enquiries-lrt@gol.gsi.gov.uk
www.londonprepared.gov.uk